Leadership at its Best

Matthew 14:22-33

When you read this account of Jesus, you do not see the meekness in Jesus but the authority of a leader, of one who is in charge.   Matthew gives this account of what happened after Jesus had fed the five thousand men and their families; “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”  That is a leader, He is in charge, His disciples are men under authority, and even this crowd is looking not so much for the Messiah as they are looking for someone who will be their king, someone who will provide for them, they are dismissed by Jesus.

What happens to many of us, who go by the name of Christian, after a great accomplishment, do we follow the example of Jesus and dismiss the crowds so we can give thanks to the Father, or do we enjoy the crowd and forget it is Christ in us?  It is the Spirit of God who is giving the victory.  A leader always acknowledges, always gives credit to the person who has accomplished the task.  That is what Jesus did, Jesus went to the Father for everything, and that is what you and I must do if we are to see God use us to minister to the crowds.

Often, we are told that being a follower of Christ may put you in the boat with others and when the storm comes it may seem God is not to be found.  But Jesus has a plan for you and I just as He did for His disciples, and Jesus was aware the boat had gone a long way and it was being beaten by the waves, and the wind was against them.  Matthew tells us it was the fourth watch of the night, and Jesus came walking on the water.  “But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”  And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.” (Matthew 14:26-29)

If that was the end of the account, we would learn when Jesus tells us to “Come” He means come, pay no attention to those in the boat who are still hanging on to the life jackets, or take no notice of the impossible obstacles all around you, just go!  And that’s what Peter did, he was almost to Jesus; he had his eyes fixed on Jesus from the moment he stepped out of the boat into a raging sea.  And remember Chanel One, the deceptive channel, that channel was broadcasting this message into Peter’s thoughts and remember the voice sounds like Peter’s voice, and it is saying something like this; look at the wind, and we all know you cannot see the wind, but you can hear it, and you can see the results of the wind.  So Peter stopped trusting for just a moment, and he looked at the sea and he believed the message of Channel One, man cannot walk on water, and in that moment Peter began to sink into the sea.  But Peter did what I’ve done many times, he cried out “Lord, save me” and “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Many never get out of the boat, but Jesus gets into the boat and we are amazed that he can love someone like us, but He does.  And when He is in our boat and our eyes are fixed on Him, the storm ceases, and it is at this point we should do as they did that early morning.  “And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Bad news will expose your Belief System

Matthew 14:13-21

How one reacts when receiving bad news will often tell us a lot about a person and their belief system, let us look to Jesus as He is receiving news about a mans death.  Jesus refers to Him as the greatest man ever born in Matthew 11:11, and when he was in prison he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”  “And Jesus answer them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Today, Jesus is told that Herod has beheaded John and John’s disciples have taken his body and buried it.  Not only was John the forerunner of Christ, he was Jesus’ cousin, so how does Jesus react to this horrible news; we are told by Matthew that he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.
Often we forget that Jesus took on humanity; God became a man.  My teacher and friend T.W. Hunt and his daughter Melana, tell the fictional story of a two dimensional world and a person like you and me being sent to share with them.  His name in the story is Jim and the person he is going to see is a two dimensional man named Maphis.  The angel in the story gives Jim this insight: “The Angel” “Jim, God has selected you for an unusual assignment.  I have been sent to take you to another world vastly different from your own.  Are you willing to learn to think in very different terms about reality?” (Jim)  I think now I would believe anything you said, what are you talking about?” (The Angel)  “You are familiar only with three-dimensional space, even though time is also a fourth dimension.  However, I’m going to take you to a world with only two spatial dimensions, different from anything you have ever imagined.  You will perceive that world as a flat disk and the living beings on it also as flat.” 
Can you imagine the question that Jim had of the angel, and yet the angel assured Jim that God would provide all his needs, and that God would allow Maphis to hear Jim in his own language and that Jim would hear him in his.  T.W. tells us about the many problems Jim will have for Maphis will look at Jim as a supernatural being.  Jim finds very quickly that communication with Maphis is going to be trying and extremely difficult.  Maphis’ two-dimensional world has no understanding of deep, he could only by faith in Jim and what Jim had done grasp the reality of a three dimensional man.  But our Creator took on flesh and became one of us, born of a virgin whose Father was the Holy Spirit, and so Jesus came into a world controlled by sin, but was not contaminated by sin, for sin is passed on by the father.  Yes, Jesus had emotions, he got hungry, He bled and He healed just like you and me. 
Jim, in T.W. and Melana story, came to the understanding that he would have to come to the lower dimension, for the lower cannot go to the higher.  That is what Jesus has done for you and me.  And yet in this time of loss of a friend, a close relative, the crowds found Him and He had compassion on them and healed their sick.  But evening came and it was a desolate place and Jesus’ disciples want Jesus to sent them away so they could get food, but the Lord ask if there was food and was told only five loaves and two fish.  Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.”  He ordered the crowd to sit down and He blessed the food and they all ate and were satisfied.  And this is the God we serve, after all had eaten, about 5000 men and their families, they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.  You and I often get hung-up with a God who is beyond our understanding of higher dimensions.  Or as T.W. states; “Or perhaps the divine unity exists in a spiritual reality beyond any imaginable physical dimensions.   We are dominated presently by physical thinking.  Our kind of existence within our spatial limitations severely curtails our vocabulary.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

Whose disciple are you?

Matthew 14:1-12

Whose disciple are you?  Being a disciple is very much in keeping with my understanding that all people are religious, now their religion may be boating, sports, fishing, golf, or some religious group, it may even be politics, but everyone is religious about something, even the atheist.  In the same way, most are followers of someone, it may be their job, their family, their church, or some form of entertainment, but just about everyone is a disciple of someone or some thing.  How often have you heard someone say, that is the pastor of my church, or I listen each Sunday to _________ on T.V. 

The old is forever new, and in the time Jesus walked on planet earth in human form most every Jew had a Pharisee or teacher that they followed, so when John the Baptist came on the scene and God was using him to call His people to repentance, it was not long until men attached themselves to John and they became followers of John or his disciples.  And some of these same men began to follow Jesus after John’s death.

Matthew gives us this account of John’s death he was beheaded on orders from Herod the tetrarch at Herod’s birthday party.  Now that’s a strange party favor, but this is what happened, the daughter of Philip and Herodias was requested to dance for the king and his buddies and it pleased the king so much that he promised her whatever she wanted and of all the party favors she ask for, she requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter, and she took it to her mother.  Now the rest of the story, Herod desired his brother’s wife and in that he was king, he took her and they began an illegitimate relationship.  John the Baptist got into Herod’s face and told him so and the result was John’s imprisonment.  Now here is where the account gets a little fussy, but we do know that Herodias hated John and wanted him dead, but the king feared the people because they thought John was a prophet.  This much should be clear, the king and his birthday friends were under the influence of adult beverages and we do not know why the daughter of Herodias was asked to dance seductively before the king, but we do know that it was the mother who ask for John’s head through the daughter’s request. 

Do you understand that those at the Birthday party for Herod were his followers, and in what seems as a drunken state they were not appalled at their leaders action.  Now some in that room may have not agreed with Herod but being his followers gave them privileges, maybe even honor of others who were not part of the kings enter circle. 

Should not each of us examine whom we are following, and why we are following them?  Is it to put us in the inter circle at work, at church, in the neighborhood, or is it a sport, a silly little game that has no eternal benefit?  It matters whose disciple you are, it matters who you are following, a preacher, a rock star, a sport figure, a Politian, a religious group, not one of them can offer what Jesus has to offer.  Who but Jesus can fulfill this promise: “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”  I’ve discovered that only a follower of Christ finds this life, it will not come from any other source.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Unbelief happens in the best of Familes

Matthew 13:53-58

Unbelief is defined as an absence of faith.  Have you ever found yourself as a skeptic, a non-believer in someone or some group of people?  Sure you have and so have I, it happens almost daily in the culture we live in, with the misinformation of our government, the media, the Internet, and sometime even in our families.  What you believe, and whom you believe has everything to do with your relationships, and that was true from the beginning of mankind.

Do you recall Adam and Eve, they were not like you and me, in that they did not know how to sin, they were pure, and they walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden.  And then the one Jesus calls the thief in John 10:10, the one Jesus tells us came only to steal and kill and destroy, came in the form of a serpent and spoke to Eve about the integrity of none other than God the Father.  Do you recall the spin (lies) that the serpent used on Eve, to place doubt in her mind, “He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”  “And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

We read the account, to be a god was a great temptation, and both Adam who was standing with his woman and did nothing to protect her, but also received the lie in his heart and acted on it, and that day their eyes were open and they knew sin.  So unbelief enters into the hearts and minds of all people, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

So you and I have the ability to look at history and see the results that the sin of unbelief has had on our families, our nations, and our culture.  Do you understand that it happens in the best of families, ask Jesus, for it is clear that at many points His family did not believe that He was God.  And if his family is having unbelief, what chance is He going to have with the neighbors who watched Him grow-up?  This is the account of Matthew when Jesus returns to His home down: “And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”

Unbelief will keep you and I from seeing the mighty works of our Lord.  “In all unbelief there are these two things: a good opinion of one's self, and a bad opinion of God.”  (Horatius Bonar)  “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is can't believe. Unbelief is won't believe. Doubt is honesty. Unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light. Unbelief is content with darkness.” (Henry Drummond)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

But some Doubted

Matthew 13:51-52

After Jesus had left the crowds and went into the house, we find the disciples coming to Him and saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”  And Jesus did just that, do you ask Jesus to explain the Scriptures to you, I did this morning.  Guess what, not only did Jesus explain the parable, He went farther and gave them three more parables that gave insight into the kingdom of heaven.

How many times have you ask an employer, your child, or even your mate, did you understand what I just told you?  Listen to Jesus; “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”  And he said to them,“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”  “Who were the scribes” by Don Stewart, “The Greek word grammateus translated scribe means writer. The scribes were the ones who drew up legal documents. They also copied the Old Testament Scripture. They also devoted themselves to the study of the law, and the determination of its applications on daily life. They also studied the Scripture with respect to doctrinal and historical matters. Noted scribes had their own disciples. Many of the scribes were members of the Jewish council.

Don does a great job of showing us from Scripture both sides of the scribes that Jesus came in contact with, but on the whole they wanted to kill him.  We find one account in Matthew 8:19, they wanted to follow Jesus but most were apposed to Him.  Jesus tells His disciples to watch out for the scribes and the Pharisees, and in Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

But Jesus is talking to His disciples and He is telling them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”  We should never forget that these disciples were in training to be the ones to carry the gospel to a lost world, and we also are to be in training to carry the gospel to a lost world.  The Amplified Bible gives this insight to 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” 

Scripture makes it clear that the 11 disciples when they saw the risen Lord, they worshiped Him but some doubted at this time.  And Jesus gave them marching orders, and these orders also apply to you and me; “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

The Parable of the Net

Matthew 13:47-50

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What a great analogy, many of us who have fished at some point used a throw net to get bait, and much of the time you throw away the bad bait and keep only the good.  Jesus is saying that at the end of the age the angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous.  But that can be a real problem with many, because of their definition of “righteous”!  In this case only God’s definition of the word has meaning, so where do we attain this being right in the sight of God.  First, what it is not: it is not how well you perform at home, at work, or even in your charity, for Scripture tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)  So this being in right standing with God only happens after we have by His grace been saved by the faith that God alone has given us.  And the good that we do is because of our relationship with Christ, and it was all planned out before we entered into Christ, and He entered into us. 

So this righteousness is obtained by the grace and faith given to us by God, and the apostle Paul is stating this in his letter to the Roman church, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)  What is the make up of a person who is living out a righteous life; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)  That’s big if it is the Spirit who is in charge; who is in charge of you, the flesh or the Spirit?

Do you recall that often I’ve told you Jesus is Truth, so when Jesus tells us that angels will separate the evil from the righteous, is it not of the utmost importance to make sure that you are using God’s definition of “Righteous.”  “The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Treasure of such Value

Matthew 13:44-45

Do you like stories, I do and yet I’m not that good at story telling, but my friend Dennis is a storyteller and often he will begin by stating; “this is the truth, it is a true story.”  Now, we always wonder why Dennis begins in such a way, it may be that many of his stories are fabricated or that he just wants to make sure we understand this one is not for entertainment.  Jesus never began with this is a true story, but often Jesus would tell a story in order to make a point, that is the case in the verses above.

In verses 44 and 45 many would refer to this as an analogy, a comparison between hidden treasure and the kingdom of heaven.  The following are Jesus’ words: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  

At age 27, I was married, had a career, and was very fearful of things going wrong in both my marriage and career, but then I began a relationship with Jesus Christ, and my life took on new meaning.  Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church had this to say about what took place in my life: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)  O.S. Hawkins in the book “The Joshua Code” on page 147, wrote; “Note the first two words of Ephesians 1:7:”in Him.”  What Christ has to offer is not about religion or ritual.  It is about a relationship, a vibrant, personal relationship with Him.”  I will not quote more but give in my words the take away from Hawkins, that we have redemption, and that it is instant, not future.  And it all is made possible “through the blood of Jesus Christ” it comes without cost or condition.  God’s plan for my life and yours is, “the forgiveness of sin” and that night in Victoria, Texas, in a hotel room, I agreed with God that I was a sinner; the Bible refers to that as confession.  Once I was in agreement with God on my need and His resources, He removed my transgressions.  Because our God wishes that none would parish and that all would bow to His Son, He offers His grace, this verse states; “according to the riches of His grace.”  One last quote from Hawkins on page 150, “Christ does not say out of His riches, but according to His riches.  Let me explain.  If I were to give you a dollar, I would be giving you out of my riches.  But if I were to hand you a blank check with my signature affixed for you to use, as you will, I would be giving to you according to my riches.  God offers us His grace according to His rich supply.”

Have you found in Christ a treasure of such value that you are willing to be in total submission to His will for your life?  Do you believe Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Dr. J.K. Minton in a sermon, ask this question: “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?”  Lord, I am willing to sign the blank check of my life over to You, to be led by the Spirit of God, for what else can we do?  For in Jesus, I found the kingdom of Heaven.

In a letter to the Hebrews, Paul ask this question; “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Weeds in our Gardens

Matthew 13:24-30

If you have a yard or a garden the parable of the weeds should be of interest, in that I have both yard and garden, it seems that each year I battle a weed that does look similar to wheat.  If left to its desire or nature it would soon choke out the grass in the yard and take over the garden. 

Jesus gives us a comparison between a man who sowed good seed in this field and the kingdom of heaven, but adds this, his enemy comes in the night while he is sleeping and sowed weeds.  Let’s pick up the story in verses 26-28, “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.”

Many parents and many people have wondered, how did this happen?  Did we not go to church, did we not do and act in a civil manner to those we came in contact with, that is most of the time, driving a car should not count there are so many rude people who drive cars, I’ve seen one in my mirror.  But most who attend the local church do not give the answer Jesus gave; ‘An enemy has done this.”  You may wonder did Jesus have someone in mind, and the answer is yes.  But before going there, we should not miss the following, often, we can see a wrong and try to fix it without any leadership of the Spirit, and many times we uproot the new seed, the new believer, and allow the enemy of God to bring unrest to the local church.  “When ask what the master of the field wanted of those who care for the field, this was Jesus reply.  So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Don’t you love the honesty of the disciples, they were not like most who attend the local Bible studies and church services, when the crowd has left and Jesus is back inside the house they ask, now what was that about the parable of the weeds?  And Jesus explains, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:37-43)

These are not the words of a mad man, they are the words of God’s only Son, and this writer knows they are the words of our Creator.  And that brings us to two questions, “Do you believe Jesus tells the truth, and do you have ears to hear?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Not many choose Freedom

Matthew 13:18-23

If you are a Citizen of the United States of America, July 4, 1776 is a very special day; the day we declared, as a people, we would no longer live under tyranny, that we believed liberty was of more value than life.  A small but important part of the declaration sent to the king of England, states the following: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”  The majority of the people were not for this, in fact, it was only a very small percentage that were willing to put everything on the line to be a free people.

From the time Adam and Eve chose to rebel in the garden against the authority and will of God, mankind has been under the control of sin.  But God was not taken by surprise, He was not unaware, and on the day they chose to sin, darkness came into the soul of all who would be born of Adam.  All includes you and me, but the all does not include Jesus, who was not born of man, but of God.  So after mankind had been given a new beginning with Noah and the flood, they once again rebelled against God’s authority, and he chose Abraham to lead them back to Him, but that also did not go well.  God let them run to Egypt, and they became slaves for 400 years and yet God has never forgotten His people, and God picks Moses, not only to lead His chosen people out of Egypt, but God gives Moses a declaration called the Ten Commandments.  In obeying these Commandments the people of God would find peace and freedom, but guess what, only a small group believed in the God of Abraham, only a small group wanted to risk their life for freedom from Egypt.  So God sent His only Son, the one referred to in John’s gospel as the Word. 

This is the introduction to the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  (John 1:1-5)  Jesus the Word, said, “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b)  And Jesus tells the parable of the Sower at the beginning of chapter 13 of Matthew’s gospel, but now in verses 18-23, He explains what happens to many in the church today.

Earlier in one of the papers, I disclosed that I am a gardener and as a gardener I spend a lot of time improving the soil, for without good soil your life or your garden will be a big mess.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:23, just believing in Him will not be a life of production, but to hear and apply the Word, to look to it and follow it’s leadership.  The apostle Paul in his writings to the Roman church declared our Independence from Sin; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

All is Good

Matthew 13:16-17

If you are up on the current events it’s very disturbing; war and rumors of war, the Arab Spring is not turning out so well for the Middle East, people in Texas still want to kill a baby after it been conceived for five months, Obama care is not looking good and the cost is going up for health care, the Supreme Court of the USA has become a joke, and the Senate of the USA passed a bill to allow up to 11-30 million people who are in country illegally to become Citizens.  But if you are a follower of Christ, no sweat, all is good; in fact, things are much better than you may understand.

Do you recall Jesus saying; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  Now when you get all in a sweat about the world system, remember that Jesus also said; “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17)  All the mess in the news is connected to the thief Jesus has told us about, but that’s not what a follower of Christ should have their eyes on.

We who are in Christ and Christ is in us, should be looking to the Eastern sky, for our Lord’s soon return.  Verses 16 & 17 of Matthew chapter 13, gives us great encouragement.  “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”  It may be that we have forgotten what our eyes have seen and our ears have heard, and that may explain why you and I get so upset about the news listed above.  Could it be we have been polluted by this world and we have a heart for the world more than we do for the things of God?

 

It all hinges on faith, the faith referred to in Hebrew 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  And then the writer of Hebrews being lead by the Holy Spirit gives insight into the great people of faith like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and many others, and gives us this discernment.  “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

When we sweat the small stuff, we lose sight of the big picture we forget that we are the King’s Kids, with a Father who keeps all of His promises.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

(Note: If the Spirit of the living God has called you into one of these battles, He will equip you for the battle, and at that point it is God’s battle, remember that!)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Could you be born for such a time as this?

Why were you born, why are you here at this stage in life, is there a plan, a goal that only you can fill?  I hope you will stop reading, and ponder those questions, and then read the confrontation of Queen Esther by her uncle Mordecai, who had raised her as his child.  Esther’s king was named Ahasuerus and by law of the land no one could enter the kings presence without an invite by the king; to do so meant death, unless the king held out the golden scepter in his hand.  Esther had not been invited into the king’s presence for 30 days; when Mordecai ask her to address Haman’s plan to kill all the Jews in the nation.  Picking up the story in Esther 4:12-14, “And they told Mordecai what Esther had said.  Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.  For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Do you recall the account of Martin Luther, who was born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483, and became a most important leader in Western history; “Luther spent his early years in relative anonymity as a monk and scholar. But in 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Church's corrupt practice of selling "indulgences" to absolve sin. His "95 Theses," which propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation. Although these ideas had been advanced before, Martin Luther codified them at a moment in history ripe for religious reformation.” (History Dot.Com)  Can anyone say that Martin Luther was not born for such a time as this?

I’ve given much thought to the questions in the opening sentence, it is time to take a stand, to fill my place in the line, a place that only I can fill, for God has given me a heart like His; the heart of a warrior.  Do you recall the shameful days of our soldiers coming back from the war in Vietnam, and how many in the public treated them not as warriors, but as scoundrels?  It is often said in my presence, that we should not discuss issues or actions of our government at church, and I, like maybe you have complied in a very large degree.  But what happens when the government and it’s authorities are attacking the foundation of our faith, when they are attacking the institution that God has set in place, things like the family and marriage?  Should the church be silent, and if you are in Christ, you are the church.

When does the warrior come out in a follower of Jesus Christ?  When do we say as Peter and the apostles, “We must obey God rather than men?”  With that said, let us recall Jesus words in John 17:22-23, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”  In the book of Exodus 15:3, we have these words about Christ who is living in us; “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.”  Could you be born for such a time as this?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

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It is all about your Will

Matthew 13:10-17

Have you ever attempted a new approach to enhance your communication with a person or a group?  If so, you are in good company for that is what Jesus did in Matthew’s account of the gospel.  Up to now Jesus had been teaching and healing people and yet the crowds seem to want more and more of the amazing acts, but most did not understand or acknowledge the authority of Jesus. 

When Jesus took this new approach His disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (Matthew 13:10b)  The answer Jesus gave may seem vague to some, but keep reading and it will become very clear.  “And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:11-13)

I understand completely the message Jesus is telling his disciples; for many years I was one of that crowd, I went to church, I listened but I would not place my will under the authority of God, I wanted to be in charge.  It also reminded me of algebra class, I attended class, I listened to the teacher, but I came away with no understanding of what was being taught.  It was not because the teacher was bad, others learned algebra, and it was not because I was not able to learn, it was a simple thing, I never believed it was relevant for life on planet earth.

But Jesus is going to quote the prophet Isaiah to them and He explains that the prophecy of Isaiah is now fulfilled that says:  “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”  (Matthew 13:14-15)  This writer is under authority and I believe the Spirit of God has directed me to address His church, for I was born for such a time as this.  It is in His church that people’s hearts have grown dull, and their ears can barely hear, and their eyes have closed, we attend, but so many never apply or put into action the teaching of Scripture. 

This morning I read this quote from “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers; “There is no heaven with a little corner of hell in it.  God is determined to make you pure and holy and right; He will not allow you to escape for one moment from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit.” (From page 133 July 1)  Do you recall the song many of us learned in VBS, “One way and only one and yet the doors are two, I’m on the Lord’s side and which side are you?”  Has the culture of the world so invaded the church that we now believe we can have heaven with a little corner of hell in it?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice